Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Lessons Learned

In a previous post, I said that I had wanted to learn something new this summer, but was not sure what exactly that would be. I learned a lot about being comfortable with different kinds of people and what I like to do. There were also many "now you know" kind of lessons, like when I tried to start a fire with pine needles that seemed "dry enough." Here are a few highlights:

You don't have to keep in touch with people to call them up out of the blue and have a great time, though that great time is often a source of inspiration to keep in touch.

Having friends all over the country makes traveling much easier (no hotels and the best tour guides!)

Thermarests don't look like much, but make a huge difference when camping. In other words, camping without a thermarest sucks.

I am physically capable of much more than I thought before this trip. I was incredibly active this summer without really noticing it. It doesn't have to be yoga OR running unless I want it to be. I certainly didn't skip swimming in the ocean just because I had already gone hiking.

It's much easier to decide what to wear when you only have three tshirts and a pair of jeans.

As much as I love New York, I also love being a big fish in a small pond :)